After All These Years
by CrazyAnnoying
Summary: 24 countries , 24 tributes and 2 victors. Katniss and her family moved to another country called Philippines and she misses her childhood best friend Cato Sanders who she lost contact with ever since her dad had a little accident with her laptop.The Games are back and they both get reaped but does Cato remember her? Please read to find out ! This is my First Fanfic :
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

His blue eyes, blonde hair , and his signature smirk …Cato Sanders . My childhood best friend…..

My family together with Gale (my cousin) moved to this country called Philippines cause my dad got a really good job offer as a hotel vice president. We promised each other we would video chat once in a while, which we did do that every week.

But all of a sudden Dad got electrocuted by my laptop while he was using it and that sent him to the hospital for weeks and after that he did not allow the use of computers in the house because of trauma. After that I've never heard anything about Cato again.

…..

"I declare that the Hunger Games would be back for the sake of bringing back order to our nations." As Corilanus Snow , President of the WPO (World Peace Organization) announced on live TV."WHAT?!" We all shrieked.

"The following 24 nations will send a teenager ages 12-18 to the upcoming games. Austrailia , China, Denmark , Japan, Thailand , Malaysia , Canada , United Kingdom, Panem , Philippines, Italy , France , Ireland , India , Austria , Germany , Mexico , Brazil , Spain, Portugal, Indonesia , Sri Lanka, East Timor and Argentina ." . My jaw dropped as he said all these countries but then it crept in to my mind_, at least they just have to send 1 teen_ . I mean unlike before , they used to send 2! "Also we will have 2 victors and the reaping is in a week. May the odds be ever in your favor ." He finished. I sighed in relief at least 2 will be going home. But then again, still, 22 kids are going to die and to think…. Reaping is in a week.

…

I went to school the next day and told Gale and my friends, Madge , Jannie and Kayla the news . They couldn't believe it. They panicked at the fear of getting reaped and they did not know how to handle a weapon to defend themselves. Well… except for Gale since we both did archery , knife throwing and hand to hand combat together. So, we decided to help them out by training them how to handle these stuff.

…

As the reaping got closer and closer we just got more nervous and jumpy . "Guys it's impossible for one of us gets reaped . Since only one will be reaped ."Gale started. "Yeah but still. Plus I'm worried about Cato and Prim. What If they get reaped?" I replied.

"Who's Cato?" Kayla and Jannie said in unison.

"My childhood best friend." I said as my voice trailed off realizing how much I miss him and his presence.

…

Its Reaping day. I'm nervous and worried as heck ! Prim had a nightmare last night that she was reaped . I stayed with her all night to soothe her, but today she was all shaky. "Don't worry It's your first year . you won't get reaped." I said while hugging her trying to calm her down. "What if I do get reaped?" Now she's crying again. "No. You won't and I promise you that." As I said this , she stopped crying and gave me a small smile. Gale just woke up and started devouring the eggs, bacon and muffins like he never ate before.

"Woah! Slow down! Leave some for us." I said and Prim cracks up.

"I just wanna savor aunt Sheila's cooking in case I get reaped" he said while his mouth is full.

"It's still bad manners Gale." Mom said as Gale mumbled something about manners and why is it important.

"Good Morning" dad greeted.

"What 's so good about this morning ?" I mumbled.

"Ohh right. Well lighten up a bit honey." As dad said while patting my shoulders.

….

I looked in the mirror all ready and thought, _I am Katniss Everdeen 16 years old. I might die in a matter of weeks and maybe will never see my family and friends ever again. But most importantly, I'll never get to see Cato again._

"Ready?" as mom peeked through the door.

"Yeah…I'll be down in a sec".

I left the room with my hands shaking….Who knows what destiny has in stored for me.

**AN: What do you guys think ? Please do review. It's my first fanfic so forgive me if there are so much errors :| I'll accept good and bad reviews so yeah . Btw expect me to update slow because I have school and Jazz dance club plus I'm only allowed to go online if I'm free of homework or I have something to research on so yeah. Thanks **


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Prim, Gale and I met with my friends at the square and had our names registered . Every step I take makes me feel sick and teary . "It will be okay. You won't get reaped. Okay?" I felt myself tearing up as I said these words to Prim. She nodded , hugged me and went over to the 12 year old section as I got to the 16 year old section. As I reached my spot , my friends squeezed my hands "It'll be okay, only one gets picked." I told Jannie ,Kayla and Madge . I can tell these words calmed them a little but there's still the tension in them .

The reaping started with a pink haired woman step onstage with a drunk looking blonde guy in his late thirties by her side. "Welcome to the 1st Hunger games and MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR . It is supposed to be the 74th but President Snow cancelled the games 12 years ago . " The woman who I presume her name is Teffie? Kelly? Jelly? Well whatever her name is she continued to rant on how the games started and all that crap in a terrible accent . I tuned her out until I hear:

"Our tribute representing the Philippines is…." I was snapped back to reality and my hands are sweating and I'm trembling . My friends were the same .

"PRIMROSE EVERDEEN!" I can't believe it ! My sister was reaped and she's 12 ! Freakin 12 !

"NOOOOO !" I screamed. My friends knew what I'm going do next so they let go of my hands and let me push through the crowd. I see Prim walking her way to the stage scared and shaking.

"I VOLUNTEER!" I screamed. Everyone turns to my direction and made myself clear "I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE". Everyone was silent and after a few seconds of them processing on what I just did , "KATNISS YOU CAN'T I WONT LET YOU !" Prim screamed . "No Prim you're my sister and I will protect you no matter what!" As I say to a sobbing Prim.

"NOOOO KATNISS YOU CAN'T !"I heard Prim scream again as she is being carried away by a Peacekeeper.

I walked my way to the stage, trying to fight back tears .

"What's you name dear?" The woman asked.

"Katniss Everdeen"

"My my you must be little Primrose's sister. I bet you volunteered cause you don't want all the fame and glory go to her." She said. _Stupid woman I volunteered to protect her_. I thought.

"There we have it . Katniss Everdeen our tribute representing the Philippines!Let's give her a round of applause !" Everyone was silent . It was only the woman who's clapping. Everyone had 3 finger to their lips and held in the air as a sign of saying goodbye. I can see my family and friends in the audience sobbing…. Including Gale !

…

We made our way inside the Justice Hall and I was placed in the room where family and friends came to say goodbye . Mom, Dad, Prim and Gale were the first ones to go in . They started sobbing and hugging me ."What are you thinking?!"Prim exclaimed."I can't let you go into those games Prim!". "But what if you die? "."It's better that I die instead of you." I said while hugging a bawling Prim . "Katniss, you know how to hunt , throw knives , and fight with your bare hands . You can do this . " Dad says. "Katniss please promise us that you're gonna come home as a winner ,not a cold dead body." Mom says through tears. "Please Katniss. Please come back to us." Gale pleaded. "I'll try." "Katniss, 'I'll try' is not enough! Do it, don't try it !" Prim screamed. "Okay I will."

"Times up ! " A Peacekeeper said . I hugged them and said I love you to all of them as they were pushed out of the room.

Madge , Jannie , and Kayla came in next. "KATNISS!" Madge cried as they all hugged me so tight that I can't even breathe . "Promise us you'll win please Katniss" Jannie cried. "Okay "was all I can say. "Here your country token." As she gave me a gold mockingjay pin . "It's a family heirloom. I aunt wore it during her games." "Thanks. Are you sure ? " I asked confused why she gave me the pin. She nodded . Kayla was crying on my shoulder the whole time, mumbling the words "Please Katniss win for us and you family " . I hugged them and bid them all goodbyes as a Peacekeeper pushed them out.

….

On the train , I learned that the woman's name is Effie and she is the most annoying person I ever met. The blonde drunk man is apparently my mentor and he's from Panem . His name is Haymitch and he will be mentoring 2 nations. I don't know the other country he's mentoring though.

…..

I didn't have the energy to watch the recap of the reapings so, I went to my room right after dinner and fell asleep in the soft velvet bed dreaming of Cato and our happy memories.

….

I was awakened the next morning by Effie 's constant banging on the door and screams. But I ignored her but she didn't give up on waking me up so, she barged into my room and dragged me out of bed , into the dining room and sat me on the dining chair. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR ?!" I screamed at the now green haired Effie . "We have a tight schedule ahead and besides I need to tell you something." She answered. Haymitch walks into the room and ….."Well good morning sleeping beauty" he greeted. "Yeah sure, morning" I mumbled.

"Since we're all here, I have an announcement to make " Effie says.

"What ? You broke your nail and you need a new set of fake nails?" I snapped.

"Hhahahaha good one sweetheart" Haymitch laughed while drinking his coffee … oh wait … Its liquor .

"Anyway, Katniss, The president of the WPO decided that every female tribute has a male counterpart and vice versa. So we partnered you up with –"

"GET TO THE FREAKIN POINT!" I cut her off.

"Your counterpart is the tribute from Panem."

"What's his name? " I asked.

"I can't tell you now, you'll have to wait until the opening ceremonies" She stated

…...

I spent the day asking Haymitch on any advice for the games but he never answered me straight so I got frustrated and went to explore the train and found a training room and decided to spend the rest of my time there until we arrived in Panem ( the venue for the games) still thinking who will my partner be.

**AN: Sorry if this chapter bored you to the max . I'll try to improve on the next one I'm so sorry . Please review and thank you so much for reading this . Please leave any suggestions on what you think I should do for the next chapters Oh btw no updates for 3 weeks because my exams are coming up and I need to focus. Please pray for me :D Love you all !**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN : Classes got suspended today cause the weather is very bipolar so I used this time to update. Thanks for the reviews and suggestions you guys inspire me to continue to write so here's chapter 3 enjoy **

CHAPTER 3

We arrived at the Panem's ever famous Capitol and met my annoying prep team who immediately waxed every single hair on my body and left me wearing a robe that looks like a hospital gown. "Wait for Cinna here " as a lady with gold tattoos on her forehead says while closing the door behind her.

As I wait for what seemed like hours …..

"Katniss Everdeen . It's a pleasure to finally meet you." A guy wearing gold eyeliner , whom I presume that he's Cinna walked in and greeted me.

"Thanks."

"Im sorry that you had to go through this . What you did to your sister was very heroic of you" He says with an apologetic look.

"You don't have to apologize . It's not your fault." And by that he hugged me and I hugged him back.

…

I learned that my costume is filipiniana themed and he says that I'm going be on fire to attract sponsors.

"FIRE?!"

"Don't worry it's synthetic " and by that I relaxed.

I asked him who my counterpart is but he does not have a clue on who he is, and so the mystery of who my partner is still unsolved.

….

It's the opening ceremony and the crowds are cheering as they saw me of fire and I can see all the tributes staring at me especially the tributes from China , United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia glaring at me. But I see one particular blonde boy who looks awfully familiar. Could it be ? No. I hope not.

….

It's finally time for the pairings to be announced and I'm really curious on who will it be .

Australia : United Kingdom!

Sri Lanka : Brazil!

Malaysia : Spain!

Germany : France!

Italy : Ireland !

I tune out until I hear :

"Last but not the least ….PANEM : PHILIPPINES ! "

So, they let us mingle with our partners and when I finally saw mine and…my jaw dropped to the floor in complete shock.

…..

CATO'S POV:

I can't believe it ! Katniss… my childhood best friend who I thought of for so many years and actually fell for her during my years of training! What do I say to her ? Does she remember me ? Should I go up to her and say _hey hot stuff remember me ? _Nah. That might earn me an arrow though my skull , knowing her.

I was so happy when they announced that I'm paired up with her. I'll get to talk to her again and maybe develop my relationship with her . What am I thinking ?! She might not remember me.

"CATO!?" she asked.

She remembers me ! I hugged her and whispered "I missed you" .

"Me too." She answered back .

I can't believe it after 7 years of not talking to each other , she still remembers my name at least !

…

The ceremonies ended so we headed up to our floors and I met some of the tributes. Like Glimmer from Australia , Marvel from the UK , Clove from Ireland and Peeta from Canada . The annoying thing is that Glimmer kept on feeling my biceps touching my abs and doing all those flirty things which made the rest of the tributes scoff including Katniss.

….

I went to the roof to have some fresh air and saw Katniss leaning on the railings.

"Hey shooter (my nickname for her ever since we were 5) "

"Hey wrestler"

We both sat in awkward silence until I started to ask "Why did you not go online for so many years?". She explained to me how her dad got his accident on her laptop and never allowed the entire family to use one like it ever again.

"Ohh… but you could have went to a computer shop or something. "

"The computers there didn't have a camera so It's no use " she answered.

Then there's the silence again it broke but this time she started to talk .

"Remember those days in the forest where we used to hangout ? "

"Yeah and you would usually hide from me and make me think that you got attacked by a bear or something, those were good times." I answered

"And as revenge you'll push me in the lake and go home dripping wet" She laughed as she recalled those days.

She suddenly stood up and said that she's going to the bathroom but after a few seconds she tried to tackle me but instead I pinned her down and started to tickle her like we used to do back then with Gale. She pleaded me to stop through laughs and then I did the least she expects….

I crashed my lips on to hers and apparently ,_she kissed me back._

**AN : Do you guys like it ? Please tell me what you think and don't hesitate to correct me or give me more suggestions because it's for the better Thanks for the reviews guys ! Love you all :D !**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

KATNISS' POV

_He kissed me. _

That's all I can think of for now, and to think …. I kissed him back. What was I thinking?! He's a friend .

_***Flashback***_

"_CATO ! STOP! PLEASE!" I begged through laughs._

_Then he leans to close the gap between us. After about 5 seconds, he pulls away ._

_*awkward silence*_

"_Sorry…..we should head back now" I nodded still trying to process the events. He offered me his hand , so I took it and got up._

_***End of Flashback***_

I sighed and suddenly heard a knock on my door. "Who is it ?" I asked. "It's me , Cato" . Should I let him in ? Maybe I should …. To get answers out of him … Oh well.

"Hey … what are you doing here at this time of the night? We have training ya know ! " I asked him as if nothing has happened.

"I know , but I want to talk to you about …. Ya know …..earlier" I nodded as I heard this .

"Why'd you do it ?" I asked

"Katniss….. all those years of not talking to you I sorta … ummm…..have feelings for you ." My eyes widened in shock and I can see him sweating buckets!

"How ? … Why ?... When ?" I asked again. Gosh ! I better speak up !

"I don't know… I've been feeling like this ever since I was 12. When they announced that your country will be participating in the games I ….I was worried sick thinking that maybe you got reaped."

"Well it wasn't me who got reaped …. It was Prim. I volunteered for her ."

"Ohh so that explains it… I'm really sorry about earlier ." He says.

"It's okay" I smiled .

"So, how's Prim and Gale ?" he suddenly changed the subject.

"Prim's the same bubbly , innocent girl. While Gale…. he went through puberty and got as cocky as ever" I said as I remembered how small Gale's voice when we were kids and how cocky he was.

"Hahaha at least he got manlier " He says with a light laugh.

We talked for what seemed like hours and he finally fell asleep on my bed so I just let him stay there on his side while I get to mine.

…..

CATO'S POV

I fell asleep on Katniss' bed last night and Effie freaked out like a woman getting raped and started to shower me and Katniss questions on why was I on her bed last night and Haymitch was just there laughing like a mad man with a flask in one hand.

"What did you do last night ? Why were you on her bed?" she actually screamed in my ear .

"We were talking last night and I fell asleep on her bed!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah and besides it's not like you saw us naked or something ! " Katniss added.

Then Effie started to rant about respect towards women and boundaries and all that shitty things that a Capitol woman could scold us about.

….

Breakfast was amazing. We had a choice of high class bacon with garlic rice and egg or French toast and omelette . Both served with hot chocolate and churros.

I chose bacon of course, so did Katniss and she told me that the dish is called 'Baconsilog' in her country.

"Ohh is that so?"

"Yeah we always have it on Friday mornings before school."

"That's cool . Tell me more about the Philippines." I smiled.

"Well their language has a few Spanish like words since they were colonized by the Spaniards for about 400 years until they got defeated by the Americans ." She explained .

"They also have delicacies that looks gross but are really good. Like that egg there . That's called a 'Ballut'." She continued.

Then she tells me everything . The culture , people, school life …. Everything . But she said that all changed until the WPO included them in the games . Everything started to sound like Panem but with a bit of freedom.

…..

After breakfast we changed into our training attires and headed towards the elevator with a frantic Effie mumbling about how late we were. We reached the Training Center and realized that we were the last to arrive and the head Instructor ,Atala , began her speech about the Training Center and a bit of survival . During her talk ,Glimmer kept looking and winking at me and Clove is glaring at me probably thinking what weapon am I good at and then Atala sends us off to the stations. I kept on walking until I hear;

"Hey Cato ! Wait up !" I turn around to see Clove, Glimmer, Marvel , Peeta , and that tribute from China.

"This is Lei ." Marvel says. "She's in our pack."

**AN : Hi Do you guys like it ? Please review Ohh and by the way I've been bothered by this question lately : Why do Americans call red heads gingers? Yeah I've been really curious on that Thank you to Everyone who reviewed , favorite and followed my story :DDD It means so much to me Love you all ! Ohh and btw those who are curious about the info I gave about the Philippines …..All of those are true **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello my precious readers ! Sorry I didn't update for a while due to SATURDAY CLASSES which by the way sucks. I owe you guys a lot of chapters so I will find a way to update more often. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorite and follow my story ! It really means a lot . So here's chapter 5 and I hope you enjoy **

CHAPTER 5

CATO'S POV:

"This is Lei." Marvel says "She's in our pack"…..

Lei smirked and the rest of us headed off to different stations . Clove with the knives , Marvel with the spears, Peeta in hand to hand combat, Glimmer in archery and Lei with the axes. I headed off to my station which is the swords and started to slash the dummies in half with fake blood seeping out of it .

I stay there for 2 hours then suddenly a Mexican guy bumped into me which caused me to lose my balance.

…

KATNISS' POV:

"WATCH IT YOU IDIOT" I heard from the camouflage section.

Cato slammed the Mexican kid (I think his name was Roberto) on to the wall and Peacekeepers tried to separate them and succeeded.

After about 30 minutes , I heard screaming again in the sword section and saw Cato (again) yelling at the Italian dude about touching his sword and yet again Peacekeepers started coming and stopped Cato from punching the little guy. What's with Cato today? He's been acting so moody today ….. Ohh well I'll ask him later then .

Lunch bell rings and everyone rushes out of the room , hoping to be first in line , but too late the Careers are pushing the other tributes out of their way and I see Cato leading them . _What the hell !_ I thought. Before I left he always says 'excuse me ' he was never this rude and … cocky .So, I decided to walk over to him to say 'hi' and ask what was up with him.

"Hey Cato" I greeted.

"Hey aren't you Cato's 'girlfriend'?" Marvel asked while wiggling his eyes at Cato.

"She's not my f***ing girlfriend and I don't know her ! " Cato says.

*OUCH* Now that made my blood boil.

He walks up closer to me and said "So, your room or mine ? " with a smirk and I can't help it but slap him so hard that it going to leave a nasty bruise for a while.

"WHAT THE F*CK! " He screamed.

"I thought you were the same Cato 7 years ago …. But obviously, I was wrong! " I stormed out of the room while all of the tributes stared.

I looked for the girl's bathroom and bawled my eyes out . How could he? After what he did last night I started to believe that he likes me ,but, apparently , IT WAS AN ACT TO DISTRACT ME.

…

The rest of training went by slowly and I never went near the weaponry because … I wanna surprise the gamemakers and the Careers. The bell signaling that training is over rang all of the tributes are gone, but I stayed a bit longer thinking that the elevators are full right now so , I grabbed a bow and loaded it with an arrow and shot a dummy and it flew straight into the bulls eye . I placed the bow down and headed out and went up to my floor.

…..

Dinner came and we had beef wellington and mashed potatoes and it was silent and it is killing me, but I didn't dare to talk or to make eye contact with Cato. Effie walks in and .. "OMY GOSH CATO ! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE ?!"

He didn't answer but I felt eyes on me and I knew it was Cato's .

"I got into a fight ." He says.

I stood up and went straight to the rooftop.

…..

Cato's POV:

I feel guilty… and my face hurts. I wanna talk to Katniss but I know she's mad at me. She won't listen when she's mad .

"What's up with girlie over there ? " Haymitch asked.

"Probably tired" I answered .

I finished my dinner and decided to go follow Katniss to the roof , hoping that she'll listen. I open the door slowly and heard Katniss crying so hard. I really felt bad and the guilt is killing me.

"Katniss?"

"GO AWAY!"

"I'm sorry."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Please listen, let me explain."  
"NO! GET OUT!"

"Please just listen!" I pleaded … I never did this unless…

*awkward silence*

"Fine…. Explain." She said while walking over to me.

"I'm sorry okay It's just ….. I don't want to be embarrassed they know me as a cocky, rude bastard"

"So, you're saying that you're just protecting your reputation and not caring whether it would hurt me? I thought you were falling for me. You said that and I actually believed it."

"You don't understand. I-"

"I understand it very well. You're the leader of the Career pack and you don't want to be embarrassed . Well guess what , I. FELL. FOR. YOU. " I can't believe it . She fell for me.

"I fell for you while you were away. I've been feeling this way ever since I was 11." She continued

"I'm sorry …. Please forgive me" I said

"I don't know if I can. What you said really hurts. You must understand that ." And by that ….. she walks away.

**An: Do you like it ? Please tell me what you guys think ! I something planned for this story! Also….. I need prayers really badly ! I flunked almost all my exams and my mom doesn't even know ! I feel bad :'( Some were not given yet so please pray for me that I would pass the remaining exams ! I'LL PRAY FOR ALL OF YOU TOO ! :D **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Katniss' POV:

I walked out headed to my room and locked the door just in case someone would go barging in , and bawled my eyes out. Yes, I fell for Cato, and I just told him that. Great. Just great .

…..

Today was really awkward for me due to the 'incident' yesterday . Everyone kept on staring and staring and staring at me as if they're my body guards watching my every move but the looks are weirder and creepy. Until Rue (the tribute from Mexico) decided to talk to me and keep me in the mood and she tried to cheer me up by cracking up joke every now and then, and it worked ! All thanks to little Rue who reminded me of Prim , so, I decided to protect her from the other tributes.

At dinner, Cato tried to talked to me but I ignored him . His loss. It's his fault anyway so I have a right to do that, but to be honest I was the 'Forgive and Forget' type, but still he has to feel really guilty.

I went straight to my room after dinner, not even bothering to go to the roof knowing that Cato would be there . Suddenly the door opens and I remembered that I didn't lock the door. Crap. Cato comes in with … a plate ? What the heck is he doing?

"Here. I figured that you would forgive me if I made you these." He says as he hands out a plate full of …..Dark chocolate cookies ? Oh! He knows me too well. He knows I can't resist those and his recipe is the only one that actually tastes really good. I took a bite and …

"This is too bitter!" I lied.

"Ohhh sorry I can just make you another one." He says while looking down.

"Don't! Just ….. give me some space."I said. I forgive him but, I do need space, but knowing Cato , I expected this to happen….

"Look, I'm sorry okay I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm a complete jerk but if you don't want to forgive me, then save it . You don't have to." He snapped oh the usual Cato.

"Look, you may be a jerk but you're MY JERK and I already forgave you . I just needed space and time to think ." and with that he came closer and crashed his lips on to mine and kissed me with so much force. He locked the door and started kissing and nibbling on each other, but then I realize that this is wrong.

"I can't ." I stopped.

"Why?"

"Because it's not right . It doesn't feel right . I'm not ready for it yet." I say to him.

"Come on , we only have a month left to live our lives before going into those games."

"But still it isn't right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I understand." He says as he kisses my forehead.

"Thanks for the cookies by the way and they're really good . As usual." I said

"You're welcome and thanks for forgiving me. Good night and well played."

"Thanks and good night." I said as he left my room.

Now I'm here all alone with the cookies that I haven't had for 7 long years . Well I did have them, but they weren't as good as these .

Cato's POV:

It was nice to know that Katniss forgave me already, which is a good sign. As I head back to my room I was thinking if I should go to that famous night club here since it's a weekend and take Katniss out but then I figured that it's not her kind of thing so, I'm going alone.

I can't stop thinking about what she said. I mean I didn't realized that she fell for me. She's the kind of girl that would say:"Boys are lucky cause they get to do whatever they want." Or "I wish I was born as a guy instead of a girl cause it's cool to be a guy," Yeah she's sort of acts like a guy but I am really thankful that hormones finally got to her.

Katniss' POV:

I'm still up and it's a weekend ,so us tributes gets a day off at training to do whatever they want before they die. Who knew that WPO is quite considerate at this matter . Oh well all I wanna do is to grab a bag of chips and watch TV. So, basically I'm gonna be a couch potato. Isn't that exciting? For some people not really, but for lazy peeps like me , It's pretty much exciting.

I thought of all the things I wanted to do tomorrow and finally I came up with a plan:

Play video games with Rue. ( I found out that she's very much like me. Prim hated video games, apparently Rue loves them !)

Eat at this really old fast food restaurant called McDonalds.

Prank the other tributes or mentors or escorts or… EVERYONE!

Then, Finally …. BE A COUCH POTATO FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!

So, yeah after thinking about these I felt sleepy and closed my eyes for what seems like 5 seconds , I opened them , and its morning.

**An: Do you guys like this chapter ? Please review and tell me the parts on which I can improve on. Have you guys ever experienced closing your eyes at night for at least 5 seconds then when you open them its morning already ? :DDDD Just asking )) Thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorite and followed this story ! it really means a lot :D I love you guys and my God bless you all byeee .**


	7. Chapter 7

**An: Hello my gorgeous readers ! I was supposed to do this during computer class but yeah , It's embarrassing . So here's chapter 7. Enjoy ! **

CHAPTER 7

Cato's POV :

It's the weekend for us tributes and we get to do whatever we want (except killing sprees). I'm thinking about going to that famous bar here with Marvel and Peeta . So, I went out of room ready to go when Haymitch suddenly sys "Don't get yourself too drunk kiddo. " "How about you ? You're drunk every second of the day.""Whatever just be careful. You don't want to be a daddy even before the games start." He does have a point. ….. Oh well, It's a weekend and I wanna have fun.

I see Marvel and Peeta waiting for me at the lobby all dressed up and ready to hook up with some chicks. "Hey man ! Ready to get wasted and to hook up ?" as Marvel says with a big grin on his face ."Yeah totally."

Katniss' POV :  
I invited Rue to the mall and went window shopping since it would be useless if we buy stuff then we're not gonna use it since we're going to die in a matter of weeks. So, after all that walking we went to the arcade and started playing games like Technika , House of the Dead , Silent Hill, Guitar Hero and Tekken."I'm gonna beat you ! " Rue says in the middle of a Tekken game. "No. I aint gonna lose!" After 5 minutes …. "HA ! I TOLD YOU !" Rue shouts "You won because you stole the player I was gonna use." "Whatever I still won."

We went back to the training center and went up to my floor where we had a movie marathon to the point wherein we get up and our asses started to hurt. "What movie do you wanna watch now ? " Rue asked . "Hmmmm…." Then I have an enormous grin plastered on my face. "What ? ….. Ohhhh ….." She said as if she's reading my mind. "Saw IV" We both said in unison. So we watched Saw IV and right in the middle of the movie , we heard crashing and the sound of the glass breaking and stuff like that . "Who do you think was that ?" Rue asked . " Probably Haymitch sleep walking again." . After 15 minutes we felt a presence in the room and suddenly a woman who sounds like Effie said "I Like to watch kids die." In a tired voice. We turned around to see a woman dressed in white and her entire body is white as well and her hair is all over her face. "AAAAAAHHHHHH IT'S THE GRUDGE!" Rue screamed and so did I so we went to the kitchen got a pail and filled it with water and dumped it all over the woman. She woke up and realized that it was Effie and Haymitch was there behind us , laughing like a maniac. "UUUGGGGHHHHH ! MY PERFECT SILK NIGHT GOWN IS RUINED !" Effie screamed. "We thought it was a ghost." I said . "If it was a ghost , why would you dump a pail of water on them ?" Haymitch says between laughs . "To make sure it's really a ghost. Duh." Rue states.

"You don't just dump water on a person to make sure they are ghosts! Where are you manners ?! " Effie screamed . Obviously still furious about what happened to her 'perfect night gown' . "Nobody cares about manners and posture and shit high class people do Effie !" I said . "I'm going to clean myself up and go to bed." She finally states. "Good night sweetheart" Haymitch says jokingly and apparently earned him a scowl from Effie.

Today Is awesome, but I still wish I was hunting with Gale , Jannie, Kayla, and Madge. Or go to the movies with Prim or play Left for Dead with Dad.

Rue stayed over and we talked about ourselves. Apparently she knows every single scientific name of every single plant in this world , and she knows what plants are poisonous and safe enough to eat and , lives in the poor district of her country.

Meanwhile, I told her how I met Cato and how I ended up in the Philippines with my family. So, basically we told each other about our entire life. I wonder what Cato's up to right now … probably clubbing …. Oh well.

Cato's POV :

I've gotta admit this place is great . Hot girls are everywhere and the drinks are superb. I can already see Peeta and Marvel have their lips on a blonde and a brunette.

I'm starting to feel tipsy and I can see a certain girl approach me but I can't tell who since my vision is really blurry. We started dancing … I think and making out . Then she dragged me into the corner and I don't know what happened next .

…

I woke up half naked on an unfamiliar bed. Which means that I did something last night, but I don't assume that I really did it since I'm only half naked, but once Katniss finds out about this … I bet she's going to have the wrong impression.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 :

Katniss' POV :

It's been a week since our day off and the Games are getting nearer and nearer . In fact , they're in two days time. I'm lying on the bed , thinking of the possibilities that could happen if the Games were happening right now . I could be alive on a tree shivering as heck or I could be dead. No ! I have to go back to Prim !

The private sessions came and most of the tributes got a score of 3 – 8 (except the careers of course! ). My face was shown on the screen …. " Katniss Everdeen got a score of ….. 11!" as Ceasae Flickerman says.

Everyone in the room went wild. Including Cato and Effie and everyone congratulated me .

….

Today's the interviews , and Effie here has been trying to teach me how to wear heels. Unfortunately I keep on tripping and falling and slipping on my knees , face , back , side, etc. So, she decided to let me wear flats and taught me 'poise' and 'grace' and 'manners' and high class stuff.

After my lessons with Effie, I headed to Haymitch for my lessons with him and it turns out , I'll be doing the 'I need to get back to my sister, Please help me' act. Honestly , I really need help from sponsors , but I'm not that desperate . I can hunt for food , look for shelter and water .So, I only need sponsors for weapons , medicine and other stuff I need for emergency cases.

…

"You can now turn around."Cinna says.

I turn around to see the most beautiful dress I've ever seen. The hemline gives an illusion that I'm on fire. Talk about awesomeness !

I got out of the dressing room and saw Cato in a tux with his hair all messy and bad ass .

"Wow" He breathes out. " You look beautiful"

"Thanks …. Uhhh … you look dashing yourself." I told him with a smile.

He took my hand and pulled me closer to him.

"I'm glad I get to see you like this." He says as I blush. I mean, who wouldn't blush at that ?

"EEERRRRHEM " Haymitch 'coughs' . "You lovebirds better head down now."

…..

The Interviews were really …. You know …. Weird and awkward.

Cato had to act like a blood thirsty career , and so does the others except Glimmer a.k.a. Miss Slutty pants and I did what Haymitch told me to do . Except for the part where I had to shoe the audience my flaming dress and I first heard of my new nick name , 'Fire Girl' .

…..

Cato's POV :

Tomorrow's the start of the Games and I want to spend this last night with Katniss. So, I left a note at her door and knocked 3 times.

Katniss arrives at the roof top, and runs into me and crashes her lips on mine.

"I can't believe it! I can be dead by tomorrow!"

"Hey, don't say that. We'll get out of that arena together, okay ? " I say as I hug her.

"You know, I can't sleep like this. Especially when the Games are coming up. "

"Me too . That's why I wanted to spend this last night with you."

We fell asleep like this on the roof top until it was 5 in the morning and we had to go back to our rooms.

*2 Hours later*

"UP UP UP ! IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG BIG DAY !" as Effie screeches .

I went out to eat breakfast , then went to my room to see my prep team waiting for me . They immediately fixed me up into my arena outfit and by the looks of it , I think we're gonna have a forest and a bit of snow and rain.

…..

Katniss' POV :

I'm in the hovercraft , and a tracker is being injected in me . As the aircraft landed, I went straight to the underground rooms with a tube leading to the arena , accompanied by Peacekeepers. I enter the room and close the door behind me and saw Cinna and hugged him.

"I'm scared " I say like a five year old girl.

" You'll make it out alive . I know you will . I'll sponsor you if I am allowed to."

"What if I die? What if Cato dies ? "

"He'll be fine. He's a career. He can defend himself and protect you at the same time."

….

"30 seconds" The voice from the speaker announces.

"Here's your token." Cinna pulls out a mockingjay pin and fastens it on my jacket.

"Thanks."

"20 seconds"

"You better get in now."

As soon as I got in the platform rises and I see a vast grassland as our arena and forests surrounding the Cornucopia.

"10, 9 , 8 ,7 "

Here we go.

"6 , 5, 4 "

Three seconds left. I'm shaking and the first thing I can think of is to grab the nearest pack and run to the forest and look for water.

"3, 2,"

This is it.

"1" …..

**An: Hey guys sorry for the late update ! Just got my report card today and according to the results , I might be updating even later than this. Sucks right ? But don't worry. My semestral break is coming up near and I might be updating and working on a new story for the whole week. Please review and tell me what you think. **

**Hint for the next chapter : A surprise gift from Cashmere.**

**That's it . Your gonna have to wait to know what it is . **


	9. Chapter 9

**An: Heyaa ! I'm so sorry for not updating for the same lame excuse : School work. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I might not update as often as before , but I'll work on it :D.**

**CHAPTER 9**

KATNISS' POV :

I stepped off the pedestal and sprinted towards the cornucopia and the other tributes are coming close. Well….. at least some tributes were thinking about safety than risking their lives just to get what they need. I ran to the nearest pack and grabbed it and the guy from Mexico tackled me to the ground. He was about to stab me but Cato drove his sword in him, making the guy the first kill. In other words, my butt was saved.

"You okay ?" He asked with concern on his face.

" Yeah. Thanks"

We ran towards the cornucopia and saw the rest of the careers and my first encounter with the rest of them ….. was not that great.

"WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE ?! " Glimmer (I think ) screams as if she's gonna die next.

"From now on she's in our pack." Cato says.

"I'm fine with it , But , I don't know with the rest." Lei says.

"Yeah we could use this tough cookie" Marvel says and Peeta agree s.

" Yeah and we could use another girl." Clove says.

Well ,at least everyone agreed except for Glimmer. But it doesn't matter. I wonder how my family is taking this. Especially Prim. I also wonder how Rue's doing …

CATO'S POV :

I see Katniss' worried face and now it's getting me worried.

"Hey , what's with the long face ?" I ask her.

"Nothing. "

"Thinking about little Prim and the others?"

"Yeah. …. So you do have the old Cato in you. I thought you've completely changed."

"What makes you say that ?"

"No one can read me as fast as you."

That is true. When we were kids , I was the one she always run to when she has a problem. It's either that or I ask her what's wrong and she says nothing , then I tell her my guess of her problem and ding ding ding , we have a winner !

I can hear Glimmer barfing and Marvel helping her. A parachute comes down for Glimmer. She opens it and 2 Page paper comes out so , she starts reading it. When she's done reading she looks petrified. Marvel reads it next then looks at me .

"What?" I ask.

"You better read this." He says.

He hands me the paper and I grab it. I'm shocked. Now I remember what happened that night.

*flashback*

"_Hey Cato" Glimmer purrs._

"_Hey hotstuff" _

"_How about we get out of here and you know ….." she says as she touches my 'thing'_

"_Sure" I she led me into a room and... things got heated._

*end of flashback*

That's right. I did this to her. How can I be so stupid ? Most importantly , how will Katniss react to this ?

"What's up ?" Katniss asks . I stare at her. She grans the paper and reads it.

"Were you involved in this ?" I don't know what to say.

"TELL ME THE TRUTH CATO ! DID YOU TWO DO IT !?" She screams.

"Yes… But I can explain I was –"

"DRUNK !? Is that your excuse ? Well guess what ? Being drunk is no excuse because you know what happened and you know you did it." She's right .

"Look I'm sorry . I got carried away and – "

"That's enough. You know , I believed you when you said you had feelings for me….. just ….. "

" I'm sorry ….. I wasn't thinking."

" Yeah ….. you weren't " She says through tears. "And to think that I felt the same for you." I feel really bad . Heartbroken to be exact. She left and I 'm about to follow her but Lei stopped me.

" She needs space. Especially on this one."

I stayed at the camp and threw all my rage at the trees by slashing them.

…..

"She's back !" Clove screamed. " I thought you really left us."

"Nah . Why would I betray the people I allied with?" She says with a smile like nothing happened.

"Yeah. That would be wrong."

We spent all night tribute hunting and while at it food hunting. Katniss was the one who killed the girl from Indonesia and with the look in her eyes , I know for sure that she's really mad and frustrated.

**An **: **So , how was it good , bad , sucks eggs , or horrible ? Feel free to correct me :DDD Don't be shy ! Every review counts and it would be very much appreciated if you guys would be honest with your reviews :DD For those who hasn't figured it out yet ….. Think harder. What would Katniss flip about ? **


	10. Chapter 10

**An : Hello guys ! :DD It's nice to be back to writing and I think I'll be writing more since it's finally our midyear break ! Yay ! **

**To Cato Lover 101 : I'm sorry to hear that. I wish I could change that part but , sadly won't allow me. I'm so sorry . Does your friend have facebook or any social networking site ? You can try contacting with her there.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter !**

KATNISS' POV :

I'm furious. I can't believe he did this without thinking. If he wanted to do it, he could just use protection. I sigh . Push everything aside and go back to camp. "She's back ! " Clove exclaims. I smile as if nothing happened. But deep inside , it burns. It hurts so bad. But I'm here to win… For Prim and my family.

We went tribute hunting, at the same time, Food hunting.

"Hey ! It's that Indonesian girl !" Lei says.

We go up to her and I remember her name. Tris. Marvel drives a spear though her stomach and he falls to the ground and leave her.

" Hey. There's no cannon." Peeta says.

"I'll go check on her ." I say and everyone agrees.

Once. I reached the girl and just as we all expected , she's still alive.

"Hey Tris. Listen, I have to make this quick. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to kill you so they won't come back for you themselves. I think it's better for me to go do it and pay my respect to you at the very end."

"It's OK . I was going to die sooner or later anyway. It's better for me to die like this with you at least caring about what other people feel. " I was touched. " I saw the reaping recaps and it was so brave of you to sacrifice your life for your sister. You deserve to go back to her." Tris says,

I nod as if signaling her. She nods back and closes her eyes. Hoping that it would be quick and painless.

"I'm sorry." I shoot and arrow though her heart.

*BOOM!*

I go back to the others and they seem delighted with the cannon.

"Finally ! What took you so long ? " Clove asks.

" She fought me back." I lied smoothly

I see Cato looking at me as if he knows what really happened. He spied on me. After much walking we decided to head back to camp where Glimmer is waiting.

"Why'd you lie about a while ago?" Cato asks.

"Why'd you sleep with her ? " I snapped

"Katniss, answer me first."

"No. Answer ME first. Why Cato ? I thought that you already learned from last time ?"

"I did."

" Then why did you betray me again?"

" I'm sorry okay. Please forgive me like you always do."

"I want to forgive you, but something this painful can't be easily forgotten." And with that, he just keeps quiet. Nothing comes out of his mouth. Even when we reach the camp.

The sun has set and the WPO anthem starts to play and the faces of the dead tributes show up in the sky.

East Timor

Sri Lanka

Indonesia

Spain

Mexico

Japan

Denmark

India

Thailand

Argentina

10 tributes dead, 14 more to encounter. I'm tired. I head to sleeping bag and fall asleep. When I woke up I heard a scream.

**An : How was it ? Tell me? I have to hurry cause my dad is like time checking me. So yeah. Review and I'll see you when I see you. **


	11. Chapter 11

KATNISS' POV :

When I woke up, I heard a scream. Then, a cannon. I sat up, alarmed. I cautiously looked around, and I saw nothing. I was certain I heard a scram. So, I got out of the sleeping bag, grabbed a knife and my bow, and went around the campsite. The scream was loud enough to tell that it was a few meters away. I walked for about six or seven meters and I saw her.

Glimmer. I went near her body to check any punctures , or animal bites. None. I checked her lips to see if she had eaten something poisonous, but no. Not a single trace of juice. Then I saw her left temple. Dented. She must have hit her head on something, but, I really suspect that somebody killed her. I heard her scream after all. Then I remembered the gift from Cashmere yesterday. Suddenly , It's not her who I pity of, but the child inside her. The child who could've lived. But when you think about it, maybe the child was better off dead. Inside it's mother. So, the child don't have to worry about the Games.

I go back to the camp site and leave Glimmer's body for the Gamemakers to take.

I approached the site and everyone seems awake. Lei's eyeing me suspiciously and so does Marvel. "What? I can't take walks now?" I asked. "No, We thought that you we're talking with another tribute." Marvel says. "Well, you're wrong. By the way, Glimmer's dead." I say.

"What!? How? " Clove asks.

"I heard a scream and a cannon this morning. Glimmer wasn't here so I looked for her. Then I saw her body." I stated.

"Who killed her?" Marvel asks with a voice with anger.

"I don't know. I didn't see a single puncture or an animal bite and I was certain that she didn't eat anything poisonous. I only saw a dent in her temple." I said.

"So that was her cannon this morning." Cato simply says. There was some emotion in his eyes. I don't know what it is and I've never seen it before. Maybe because his child also died.

It's almost evening and Glimmer's cannon was the only cannon I heard so far. Marvel's been sulking, Lei and Clove with their usual girl talk , Cato and Peeta talking about some random things they do in training and me with my usual silence. I'm so bored that once I see a squirrel, I shot it clean in the eye. Followed by two more rabbits.

"Good job Katniss. We now have dinner." Lei says.

"I think I could make us a stew." Peeta joins in.

Then we hear a cannon.

"Who do you think was that?" Lei asks.

"I don't know. But we should be thankful. At least it's another less tribute off our hands." I say.

"She's right. A tribute killed by others is less trouble." Marvel agrees.

But that's not the only reason why I'd rather let someone else do the killing instead of me. Ever since, I killed Tris, Guilt has been killing me inside. Although she allowed me to. But this is the Games we're talking about. We all have to kill people at the very end. Then we hear two more cannons.

"Who is it this time?" Clove asks.

Just then WPO seal shows and the anthem plays then the faces of the dead tributes show.

Italy

France

Malaysia

Australia.

The picture disappears, then shows the clear night sky.

"11 of us left." Cato says.

"Yeah"

Then I remembered Rue. I wonder how she's doing.

**An: Helloo :DD How's it going ? Yeah this chapter may have bored or disappointed you because there's not a single trace of Catoniss in this chapter. I'm sorry please feel to review if you want :D**


	12. Chapter 12

CAHPTER 12

It's been two days since there was a death in this arena and I can feel that the Gamemakers are cooking up something 'special' for us tributes and as the days go by, I get more worried about Rue. My head keeps on thinking that she's probably on the verge of dying with the heat in the daytime or possibly the cold weather at night. But, a part of me thinks that she's way too resourceful for her to be dying right now.

It's noon and all of us are sweating buckets and everyone starts to gulp up the water so fast that we have to go to the nearby lake about twenty meters away and get some. They asked me to go get the water this time and when I reached the lake, all I see is a dried up hole. I told the others I'd be hunting for water since the lake's all dried up and started to walk. I found a stream and admired It's beautiful, clear color but something about it makes it so suspicious. I went around the stream and examined it more. I touched the so I thought water and It almost burned my skin. Then I realize, acid. Are the Gamemakers trying to dehydrate us to death? Maybe.

As I was heading back to camp I heard rustling in the bushes. I turned around and saw a dark figure behind a tree. Once I saw her hair, I instantly knew who she was. Rue. I was thrilled to see her safe.

"Rue? Is that you?" I asked. She turned her head as she heard my voice.

"Katniss?" She asked in a trembling voice. I partially walked/ran towards her and she backs off.

"What's the matter? I won't kill you." I say.

"But you're with the Careers." She says.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I lost my alliance with you." I say. She's thinner than the last time I saw her and I bet she's hungry. I reached for my bag and got a piece of bread that I got from the pile of food at the campsite and gave it to her.

"Here. I bet you're hungry." I gave it to her with a smile.

"Thanks! You have no idea on how I've been surviving with tree bark, berries and mint leaves." Rue says with delight in her eyes.

"Hey, did you find any water around here? The lake is dried and that stream is made of acid." I say.

"Nope. I've been getting my water from my mentor, Chaff." She says.

"Well, at least your mentor sends you something." I say remembering that my mentor is probably drunk and slumped on the floor at this moment. "Okay. I'll try climbing and look for water from up there."

I climb a decent looking tree and climb at least nine meters high and I instantly spot another lake in a good ninety meters away from our camp. I tell Rue about this and her face lights up. We go to the lake together and that's when it hit me. We're near the campsite. Cato and the others can see me with Rue. I shrug that away and I thought to myself. _I'm going to protect her anyway._

As we near the lake, I slowly realize what the Gamakers are trying to do. They're getting us all to gather in one lake and fight for the water there. I see at least two to four tributes arriving the lake and I can hear them already attacking and screaming. Rue and I hide ourselves from the scene and watch as those four tributes fight for the water. Then a canon sounds for one death followed by another. I can hear running and chattering from the other end of the lake and the first person I saw was Clove.

"I thought Katniss was here." She says.

"Well let's just hope she comes back since she's our only way of getting food besides the ones back at camp." Peeta says.

"So when are we planning to kill her?" asks Lei.

"Final 6. That's for sure." Marvel says.

"But what about Cato? I mean he's really upset about Katniss being mad at him." Clove asks.

"Then we kill him too." Marvel says.

Rue moves and the bushes make a sound loud enough for them to hear.

"Who's there?" Clove says, alarmed. Lei looks at my direction and I'm not so sure if she saw me or not. Rue looks worried.

"Probably just the wind." Lei says.

I look at Rue with the same confused face as hers and I hear Clove, Lei and Marvel walk away from the place.

**An: Hey guys! How are you this weekend. Enjoying it so far? Well here's an update for you. I'm supposed to be updating yesterday, but I finished my homework first so I can write in peace. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I really appreciate your reviews and I would like to thank all of you for everything and most importantly I would love to thank God for letting me do this. Without him, I wouldn't be writing or I wouldn't be even walking on this planet! PRAISE GOD :D**


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

I got some water from the lake and gave Rue some food, separated and went back to camp. When I arrived, they all look at me.

"What?" I ask.

"What took you so long?" Peeta asked.

"I had to look for water. Unless you want to drink acid." I say. Thinking about it makes me want to plan with Cato about poisoning the others with acid. Which made me regret what I said. Great.

"Acid?" Clove asks.

"There's a stream made of acid near the dried up lake." I say.

"Okay then, where's the water?" Marvel demands. I hand each of them a jug and save the other for myself.

…...

I talked to Cato for the first time after two days about Marvel and the other's plan of killing us in the woods while hunting.

"So what are we going to do?" He asks.

"I say we escape. Tonight. Let's distract them. I'll even get Rue to help us." I say.

"Sounds like a plan but how? How are we going to distract them?"

"It may sound risky, but if we're not going to escape they might kill us in our sleep."

"I know but how the heck are we going to distract them?" Cato says, frustrated.

"I think we can help with that." Startled , I spun around only to see Rue and the guy from Portugal. Cato has his sword ready and Rue's eyes widen.

"Cato, don't attack. They won't kill us. Well Rue won't kill us but, I don't know with this guy."

"I won't kill you unless you attack." The guy from Portugal said.

"Oh… Okay what's your name then?" I ask him.

"The name's Thresh." He says.

"Alright nice to meet you Thresh." I say.  
"We heard about your plan escaping the Careers. We'll be glad to help." Rue says.

"Okay we're having trouble on how to distract the Careers. Any suggestions?" Cato says.

"Well I know how to set ambush traps and we can ambush them." Thresh says.

"Really what kind?" I ask.

"I can make contraptions that can shoot multiple arrows and knives."

"But do you have the materials you need?" I ask.

"Yes. My mentor sent them exactly for this reason."

"Awesome. Okay so how are we going to set it at camp without them noticing?" Cato asks.

"Well you have to do your part and set some of the connections near your camp." Thresh says.

"Okay. Just give us a signal on when to get out of the place so you guys can fire." I say.

"How about we think about that now? So we won't confuse ourselves." Rue says.

We chatter about the plan and we finally agree to it. I have one message for the Careers tonight: Not only you guys can play this game.

…...

Night fell and only two faces were shown tonight.

Germany

Austria.

Something tells me that the Gamemakers isn't done with us tributes. And my suspicions were correct.

"Attention tributes. Tomorrow there will be a feast. Every one of you needs protection." And with that Claudius Templesmith's voice is gone. I do the signal as planned.

"I'm just going to take a walk." I say. They all nod.

I meet up with Rue and Thresh and we send out our signal for Cato to trigger the arrows. After a few seconds….."IT'S AN AMBUSH!" Marvel screams. I can her screams from the camp. Thresh triggers the knives and I trigger the arrows and …..BOOM. I rushed over to the campsite and see Peeta's body on the ground. I was just about to leave when I heard footsteps behind me. I load my arrow and turn around to see Clove running at me with her knives. She throws one but I got out of the way easily. I shoot an arrow and it hits her arm. Thresh tries to distract her and I successfully shot an arrow through her heart.

BOOM.

Cato emerges from the forest with Rue in his arms.

"What happened?!" I scream.

"Marvel….. he speared her."

"WHAT?!" I shriek.

"Katniss…." Rue mumbles.

"I'm sorry Rue. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." I'm crying at this point. How could I not be there to save her.

"No. I should apologize. I was there and I was too busy looking for Lei that I didn't see Marvel throwing a spear." Cato says.

"No….. None of you should apologize. I'm going to die anyway sooner or later. I might as well die this way rather than fighting you guys for victory. And besides, you have to go back to your sister." Rue says in a hoarse voice.

"I'm sorry Rue." I choke out.

"Sing for me Katniss. Please?" I stare at her. Sing? _She's dying Katniss. Just sing for her._ I thought.

"Just close your eyes

You'll be alright

Come morning light

You and I'll be safe and sound" She breathes her last breath and she's gone like that.

BOOM.

I'm literally bawling. I can't believe I couldn't protect Rue. She reminds me so much about Prim. I suddenly remember all the good times we had together. The time we went to the arcade, the time when we dumped water all over Effie.

"She's right Katniss." Thresh says.

"Yeah at least we won't have to worry about her anymore. Besides, she's in a better place now." Cato says.

"You guys are right. I should be happy for her. She's probably in a better place." A better place huh? … A place with no chaos. No WPO, No wars and most of all, No Hunger Games.

"Are we going to the feast?" Thresh asks.

"Yes. We're going to avenge Rue. We're going to kill Marvel."


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 :

"Hey, Wake up. It's almost dawn." Thresh says. I sat up and gathered all our stuff and set out for the cornucopia. We walk as quietly as we can so that we won't attract other tributes. We arrive at the cornucopia and I see a table set up in front. I see only two bags. One says CHINA/ UK and the other says, PORTUGAL/PANEM/PHILIPPINES. Just then I realize, Cato and I are the only original pair left and there's a huge possibility that today's the finale. "Only five of us are left huh?" I say. "Yeah." Cato says. "Do you know what this means?" Thresh asks. "The finale" I say.

It's been fifteen minutes and Marvel hasn't shown up yet. "I think they're waiting for us to make the first move." Cato says. That's it. I can't avenge Rue's death by just hiding here. So I stood up. Ran towards the center of the cornucopia and I see Cato and Thresh follow me. Thresh grabs our bag and just when he was about to say something, a spear goes through his chest.

*BOOM*

"Thresh!" I scream. Lei runs toward me and throws the knife. I dodge it and she throws another one and it hits my shoulder. I shoot an arrow but she moves out of the way. I'm about to load my bow but she tackled me on the ground. I kick her side and she groans and she punches me in the face. She didn't pin my hands down so I got to punch her in the eye. She stands up and so do I.

I have a broken nose so far and Lei has a bruise forming on her eye. She's about to lunge toward me but then I remembered a skill Madge, Jannie and Kayla taught me in gym class which you can use to defend yourself.

I do a back handspring hitting Lei on the jaw. I recover from it and grab the bow and arrows and shoot her at the head and…. BOOM….. She's dead.

I turn to help Cato with his fight. By the looks of it, Marvel is nothing without his spear. Sure he can throw a punch or two but not enough to knock someone out cold. Cato sees me and smiles. "Want to do the honors?" He asks. I nod. "This, is for Thresh." I say. And I shot his thigh and he cries out in pain. "And this is for Rue." I load an arrow and aim for his heart.

*BOOM*

He's gone. We're alive. Which means, we won. The Hunger Games in just six days. This is probably the shortest Hunger Games ever done.

"CONGRATULATIONS TO THE VICTORS OF THE FIRST HUNGER GAMES!" Claudius Templesmith's voice booms over the arena.

We we're picked up by a hovercraft that takes us back to the Capitol. Once we reach the Capitol, we were flooded with questions like, "What's the feeling of being the new victors?" or "Did you two know each other before the Games started?" or "What did you feel when the little girl died?" but the media were waved off by Effie and Haymitch saying that Cato and I needs our rest.

….

I wake up with a soft knock on the door. "It's open." I say. Cato come in with a breakfast tray. "Good Morning sleeping beauty." He says. Sleeping beauty? What's with him this morning? "Okay what did you eat?" I ask him suspiciously. He never does this. He's the type of guy to give you a wakeup call. Weird.

"You know I still haven't forgotten that you impregnated Glimmer after you told me you love me." I say.

"But she's dead and I feel ashamed. I'm sorry." He says.

"Love is never having to say you're sorry." I say. He looked at me wide eyed.

"I love you." He says.

"And don't say love when you don't really mean it." I say.

"I do mean it." He cups my face in to his large hands and kissed me.

"Break it up love birds it's time to get ready for you interviews." Haymitch says while leaning on the door frame, smirking.

**An: Hello! I finished the Games already because I have something planned for this story! Suggestions are very much appreciated. Sometimes, I also run out of ideas and look at your reviews and some gave me ideas and I continued them. Anyway, I'm sorry if you think this is a short chapter and it seems liked I rushed the games. Christmas is coming soon and I wanted to do a Christmas special.**

**I watched Love Story yesterday and got two lines. First was "Love is never having to say you're sorry." and "Don't say love when you don't really mean it." so yeah mushy isn't it? Credits to Love Story for those lines.**

**To all the families affected by the Connecticut shooting, our prayers are with you and remember that God let this happen for a reason and this is a situation that is supposed to strengthen you. BE STRONG AND TRUST IN GOD.**


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

It's been three months since the Games happened and Cato decided to stay here in the Philippines with me. There's no snow here and the people are really traditional but you can definitely feel the Christmas spirit. They would go to church at four am but since I can't afford to wake up that early, I go to the anticipated one at eight pm with Cato and the rest of the gang.

Prim was so excited to see me of course. She almost tackled me to the ground as soon as I got home. My parents and Gale remembers Cato from childhood. The only thing that haunts are the nightmares I get. Everyone was there. Rue, Thresh, Lei, Marvel ,Clove and even my family and friends are there. I would usually have nightmares like everyone in the house is getting killed or tortured. Or Marvel, Lei and Clove killing me in my sleep. Or Rue turning into Prim and right there and then get killed by a spear.

Only Cato's arms comfort me at night. We both swore not to talk about the Games. Especially that night with Glimmer.

"You know that I love you right?" Cato whispers.

"Of course. And you know that I feel the same right?" I say.

"Yup." He smiles, I smile he kisses me and we make out for at least ten minutes. We break apart for air.

"Oh by the way, mom says she's going to visit since she can't stand the cold." Cato says.

"That's great! But What about your dad?"

"Oh he'll be staying to take care of grandma." He says. I yawn.

"Tired?" He asks me. I nod. We both head to sleep.

…

It's Christmas Eve and everyone's super busy. I'm helping mom and Prim with the presents while Gale and dad are busy with the food. Cato went off to fetch his mom.

"Katniss could you fetch me the tape?" I hand mom the tape and I continue to wrap this box. Just then Jannie , Kayla and Madge come in the door. Just like Prim, they attacked me with hugs as soon as I got here. "Merry Christmas!" They all shouted. "Hey Merry Christmas to you three as well." Mom shouted.

"No need to shout guys." I mumbled.

"Hmmm?" Prim asked.

"Oh nothing."

"We have presents for everyone!" Jannie chirps.

"And so do we." Gale appears and kisses Madge's cheek.

"Okay. Since when did this happen?" I ask them.

"Since when did what happen?" Gale asks back.

"You and Madge."

"During your Games." Madge tells me.

"And you guys didn't even bother to tell me?!" I say.

"Hahah yup. We figured not to tell you until Christmas." Gale explains.

"And why?"

"We just want to." Madge tells me.

"Well at least you finally got yourself a girl." I smirk at Gale. He grins even wider and makes out with Madge in the dining room.

"Ewww Gale get a room! Prim's here!" I exclaim prim chuckles.

"I'm twelve you know?" Prim says.

"Yeah and twelve is not the age for you guys to see this." I say and Madge pulls away and Gale groans.

…..

Dinner is ready and Cato and his mom arrived an hour ago.

"The Philippines is nice so far." Aunt Leslie says.

"Yeah and Mom also learned the dishes they serve here the whole time we lived here." Prim says.

"I hope her cooking is still delicious as usual." Aunt Leslie says.

"Oh stop it Leslie. We all know that your cooking is way better than mine." Mom says.

"Non sense." They continue to compliment each other until Cato announces that It's Midnight and we should eat already.

"Prim, lead the prayer." Mom instructs her.

"Lord, thank you for gathering all of us today. Thank you Lord for guiding Katniss and Cato during their Games because if it wasn't for you, they wouldn't be here with us today. Please guide everyone here and bless them. We celebrate for your one and only son, Jesus Christ for he is born on this day. We love you Lord and we all ask this in Jesus' name, AMEN."

"Alright lets dig in!" Dad announces. Our Christmas dinner is the traditional hamburgers and barbeque. Some Filipino dishes like Lumpia and Lechon de Leche.

We finish our dinner help each other with the dishes then we gathered around the tree to open the presents together. Prim opens hers and she gets an iPod. Cato opens his and he got the thing for shaving. Gale opens his and he gets a box of underwear from Mom and perfume from Madge.

"Hahah Gale got undies for Christmas!" Prim laughs Gale scoffs. I open mine and I'm so shocked to see a rectangular box that has 'MacbookPro' written on it.

"Seriously Dad?!" I ask him wide eyed, He nods.

"Thank you so much!" I practically scream at his ear.

"You're welcome and you don't have to scream." He says.

We all open our gifts and had a holiday pictorial with everyone. All of us are tired and some people head off to sleep.

I changed in my pajamas and so does Cato. He whispers a Good night and an I love you and cuddled me. I say a silent prayer and head off to sleep. Best Christmas ever.

**An: Hello my precious** **readers! Here's a Christmas special for you guys! So, How was your Christmas? Well anyway, be reminded that CHRISTmas is NOT about the presents or Santa. It's about family and most importantly CHRIST! Our priest in church told us about the logic behind December 25. Turns out Jesus was conceived on March 25. Well anyway, have a very merry Christmas! **


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

The victory tour was tiring. We went to all 23 countries and the worst part is seeing those families that have just lost their kid. The even worst part was seeing the families of ones that we killed. Take Lei's family for example. Her dad and brother almost killed us with a gun. Clove's brother was a serial killer and literally sot everyone while shouting 'FOR CLOVE!' and he hit Cato on the shoulder. Marvel's family was quiet but his mom thanked me for killing him because he was a pain in the ass and he did everything in his will power to put their family to shame. Which I thought was really weird. Peeta's mom gave us bread. Which is also very weird since we killed her son. Tris's mom talked to me about Tris and she was thankful that I didn't kill her on purpose. Well that's life.

As we were on the jet back home, Haymitch was on the couch passed out while Effie, is having some important conversation on the phone. She hangs up and dials again but it seems that there was no one answering . She sighs deeply as the walks toward us. "I have some terrible news." She started. "Katniss, there has been a terrible fire in your neighborhood." I look at her wide eyed. "How are they?" I asked panicked. "The line was cut. I tried to call again but no one was answering." She explained. I looked at Cato who wears the same expression as I am.

I began to worry more and more as we approach home. Food usually calms me down but, in this case, It doesn't. Cato tried to comfort me every now and then but, It doesn't work either.

"It's going to be okay. They're safe." Cato tells me.

"How do you know? What if they're not? What if they're trapped?" I say on the verge of tears.

"Don't think about that. I promise they're safe."

"You can't promise anything Cato. First of all, you're not there. Second , you don't control the situation. So how can you be so sure that they're safe?" Now I'm sobbing.

"I'm sure that they're safe. They're smart enough to escape before the fire even reaches them. And besides, the more you think of it the larger chance that they'll be in danger."

"You're right. I shouldn't think about it." I managed to smile a bit.

…

Meal time came and I don't have an appetite for anything. They all tried to put some food in my system but, my stomach won't accept it. It even won't accept water. I just have this bad feeling in my gut and I'm so terrified and worried about all of them.

I decided to take out my Macbook and try to contact them or anybody I know. Good thing this jet is equipped with Wi-Fi. I see Madge online so I video called her.

"Hey Katniss." She greets.

"Hey Madge. I heard about the fire in my neighborhood. Is everyone okay?" He face suddenly saddens as I say this.

"What is it?" I asked worried.

"I haven't heard from them. I know about the fire and I'm worried too. I'm sorry I don't know anything." Madge says sadly.

"It's okay. Is the fire that bad?"

"I heard that it spread throughout the neighborhood and as of now, six houses are on fire." She says. That makes me worry even more.

We tried to keep ourselves busy with other topics. Like what we did for the past month since I left for the victory tour. Or the things that happened in school. But we still chatter about my family and the fire at times.

We talked for at least an hour before hanging up. Effie called me to dinner and like I said before. My stomach won't accept anything.

I tried to sleep but I just can't so, I faked it. Effie shakes me to 'wake me up' and tells me that we're arriving in five minutes. I get up and made myself presentable but not too presentable. The pilot asks us to sit down and buckle our seatbelts and adjust our chair in an upright position.

….

We're on the way to my neighborhood and the streets were crowded. The bad feeling in my gut gets worse as I near our house. Ours was one of the houses that got eaten by the fire. I got out of the car and Cato follows. I spot Gale and a crying Prim on the side walk.

"What happened?" I ask them.

"It's Mom and Dad." Prim says.

**An: Hello! I'm so mean I left a cliff hanger for you guys. I have very good reasons why I haven't been updating:**

**Prom is hassle.**

**I just had my Exams.**

**Projects and home works everywhere!**

**So yes Prom is a pain in the ass to me because I still have to rehearse the dance and entrance and stuff and I have absolutely no time to write. You guys must hate me by now. I'm so sorry! And to think I left a cliff hanger but don't worry! I'll update as soon as I have the chance too! Love you guys and thanks for the reviews, favorites and stuff like that!**


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

I looked at Prim wide- eyed, waiting for her to continue whatever she's trying to tell me. But instead, she breaks down even more. '_Something's wrong. Terribly wrong._' I thought. I can feel it in my gut. Prim is unable to speak and Gale fills in for her. "Uncle Caleb and aunt Sheila are still in there." And that's when the tears come. My house is still burning and I had no idea what time the fire started. If it was an hour ago, then they're toast. I feel a lump stuck in my throat. I'm unable to speak like Prim and I'm literally bawling in the street.

I push people put of my way just to see the house and the possibilities of my parents getting out of it. Once I reach the house, I cry even more. Everything's ruined. The entire house has been eaten by fire. The roof fell and I knew at that instant that my parents were gone.

Later that day, we rushed Gale and Prim to the hospital to get their burns checked. Prim was fine and only got minor burns that will heal quickly, but Gale needs time to heal. Turns out that his left leg has a third degree burn because burning wood fell on it. The doctors said that they would have to observe him for the mean while. If the burn gets worse, they'll have no choice but to cut it off.

Cato and I decided to stay at the hospital to watch over Gale. I told Madge about Gale, where his room is and she told me that she'll be in the hospital in five minutes. While waiting for Madge, I called Jeannie and Kayla to go to the hospital. Five minutes has passed and Madge arrived together with Jeannie and Kayla. The moment Madge sees Gale, tears fill her eyes and she kisses him.

"Jeannie, Kayla could you guys do a huge favor for me?" asked Jeannie and Kayla.

"What is it?" Jeannie asks.

"Could you guys watch over Prim for me? Effie will book you guys a room at the hotel. I can't trust Prim with Effie or even Haymitch with her." I say.

"We'll have to let our parents know Katniss." Kayla says.

"Kayla's right. We can't just go to a hotel without Mom and Dad knowing. They'll kill us." Jeannie says.

"I'll call them now to let them know." Kayla pulls out her phone and starts calling. She excuses herself out of the room for a while. After about at least two minutes on the phone, Kayla come back in.

"What did Mom and Dad say?" Jeannie asks.

"They said it's okay. We can watch over Prim as long as we need to."

"Thank you guys so much! What would I do without you?" I hug them.

"Hmm, You would probably be forced to leave Prim with that haggard mentor of yours and his over the top assistant." Kayla says smiling.

Madge wanted to have some alone time with Gale. So Cato and I went out the room for a stroll. I gave Prim, Kayla and Jeannie the money everything they would possibly need. I hope it's enough though.

As Cato and I were talking and walking at the same time, he had to go to the bathroom for a moment so, I'm here, alone, waiting for him. That's when a wheelchair goes by and the person sitting on it looks like Dad. I miss Mom and him so much.

"Nurse could you turn around for a second?" The man says. The nurse turns around and a grin is spread all over the man's face.

"Katniss! You're back!" The man says. I was shocked. Isn't he supposed to be dead? If he is indeed alive, then where's Mom?

"Dad?" I got up and ran towards the man.

"Yes it's me. You thought I was dead didn't you?" Dad says. He still managed to chuckle after al that pain. I mean, His legs were gone and his right arm is bandaged.

"Everyone did! You even lost both your legs." I say smiling.

"Yeah. The amputee look looks good on me right?" He jokes.

"Hmmm maybe. Wait a second, If you're alive, then where's Mom?" I asked. He shook his head and gave me an apologetic look.

"She wasn't as lucky. I managed to get her out but, she had a heart attack. The doctors told me that they did everything but she can't be saved. The fact that she breathed in smoke contributed to her difficulty of breathing." Tears came again and I was holding them back.

"Miss Everdeen, your father has to go back to his room." The nurse says.

"Okay. Bye Dad. See you tomorrow." I choked. He waves his hand and off they go. I turn around to see Cato standing behind me. "I heard the whole thing." He says. I ran into his outstretched arms.

"I'm sorry." He mutters.

**An: I'm really sorry for the late update! I had a lot of school work and don't even get me started on the chores. Anyways, please forgive me for not updating as much as I used to. Thank God for my report card! My grades got higher and I couldn't have done it without him! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are much appreciated. :) **


	18. Chapter 18

**An: I'm sorry for the long wait. I just wanted to finish all the work that needs to be done. So, it's summer vacation for me. But that doesn't mean that I'm not busy. It's holy week next week, I have review classes for college entrance exams for the whole month of April, and I'll be travelling to Indonesia and Singapore on May. Don't worry, I'll find ways on how I can write and update as often as I can. I hope that you will enjoy this chapter!**

CHAPTER 18:

Cato walks me back to the room where Gale is staying. I enter the room to see Gale awake, watching some kind of show I don't know on T.V. Once he saw us, he turns the T.V off and faces me. "What took you guys so long?" Gale asked. I had to tell him everything. I just can't keep the facts that Dad is alive, and Mom is dead all to myself. That would seem selfish of me. But I don't know if Gale is ready to handle the news. He'd be happy for Dad, but after recovering he would he practically useless.

No offense to him, but he won't be able to work as much as he used to. On the other hand, if Gale gets to keep his leg, He will be the main supported of the family when I'm not around. Sure Prim can be independent and can run things on her own but, she's not old enough to get an actual job. So, that leaves Gale, IF he gets to keep his leg. If not, then I'll have no choice but to leave everything to Prim, when the WPO needs me. And I don't want to burden the twelve year old. She's young and she needs to live out a childhood that she will never forget.

As for the news about Mom, Gale would be devastated. Mom treated him like he's her own son. She'd comfort him when he's upset. No other girl knew him better, other than Mom. No one understood him like Mom did. They were as close as best friends. Closer than the friendship Gale and I shared. The news will definitely break his heart into a million pieces.

I decided to think about whether to tell Gale the news tomorrow, or now. I can show him Dad as a happy surprise, but Mom, it's a different story.

"I had to use the bathroom. If you know what I mean." Cato said.

"That's gross, man! Did you flush?"

"Of course! But, all I can only say is good luck to the next person who's gonna use it." We all laughed at what he said.

Cato decided to stay instead of going to the hotel and rest. Gale fell asleep so, it's a good thing that Cato's here to keep me company. I told him that I was having doubts on when to tell Gale about Mom.

"Tell him soon and tell him gently. If you know how to break devastating news to him, well and good. If not, then try your best to tell him as nicely as possible." He said. "How am I going to do that? You know that when it comes to exploiting news like this, I'm a complete failure." I told him.

"Do you want me to tell him with you?"

_Yes._

"Nah. I better do this on my own. I can try and hope for the best." I told him. He smile wearily then kisses me softly. I pull away and he lays me down on his lap. He kissed my forehead and murmured a 'good night'. Then slowly plays with my hair. He continues to do this as I drift off to darkness.

The next day, I told Gale about Dad. He was excited to see him. I told him that he'd get a chance later. He also asked me about Mom. At first I hesitated. Then I realized that he would know sooner or later. So, I told him. I told him as gently as I could. He couldn't believe it, at first. But after I explained everything, he seemed to understand and began to break down.

"Have you seen her body?" He sobbed.

"No, I haven't. I asked the doctors last night to let me see the body but they won't let me. I'm sorry." I told him and eventually, tears came spilling out of my eyes.

"It's not your fault. You weren't here."

"That's exactly why this happened. Because I wasn't here to get all of you guys out."

"Whatever happened, It's not your fault. You never knew it was coming. No one did." He said. With that, I just kept my mouth shut and hugged him.

Later that afternoon, I asked Gale's doctor if he was allowed to see Dad in his room. He said yes and a nurse brought us a wheelchair. I asked the nurse where the room was and she told me that it's located on the fifth floor. So we had to take the elevator from the second floor to the third. Once we reached his room. Gale and I entered to see Dad getting checked by the nurse. The nurse asked who we were and we told her that I'm the patient's daughter and Gale is the patient's nephew.

The nurse told us that Dad was improving. He has been recovering quickly and the nurse said that this only happened twice before. So, it really is a blessing to us right now.

Dad asked me to go to the nurse's station and get some tissue rolls since the bathroom doesn't have any. I went out the door and my phone was buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw on the screen that Cato was calling. I wasn't looking where I was going so, I bumped into someone with two cups of coffee. The liquid splattered on the floor and coffee was everywhere.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." I tried to help clean the mess up with the tissue in hand.

"It's okay. No big deal." I looked up to see a boy as old as Gale. He had bronze colored hair and striking blue eyes. I looked at the cup and saw the Starbucks logo. I brought out my wallet and handed three hundred pesos to the boy, knowing how much Starbucks would cost here.

"Oh no, you don't have to pay for it." He told me.

"I insist. I was the careless one." I said and. After taking the money, he stared at me for a good ten seconds.

"What?" I asked him.

"Aren't you Katniss? The victor of the recent Hunger Games?"

_Oh shoot._

"Yeah." I told him.

"Oh my gosh! I never thought that I would have the chance to talk to you. I've had a huge crush on you way before you even entered the Games!" The boy said.

"Really? How? Have we met or something?"

"We go to the same school. Your cousin, Gale, is in my Math class."

"Really? What's your name?"

"Tyler." He told me with an award winning smile that could possibly make me swoon, if I didn't have Cato.

That's an awesome name. It's nice to meet one of Gale's classmates." I have a weird feeling about this. Once, we were done cleaning, the janitor thanked us.

The boy just continued to stare at me, which is really creepy. Then suddenly, he leans down and kisses me. I pull away and look at him with horror. Then, I saw a familiar figure behind Tyler.

_Crap._

**An: I feel like this chapter is not worth the wait. I'm really sorry that it's short. I guess you all know who the figure behind Tyler is. Please review down there! I would love to hear from you guys. Reviews inspire us writers to write more and to update faster! HAHAHAHA. You can PM me if you guys want. Remember: If you need a friend, I'll be here ;) Thanks :D**


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